Chapter 238
Chapter 238
“Got it. I’m heading your way right now. Wait for me,” Brooke replied.
As the call disconnected, a car horn blared nearby.
Audrey turned to see her car. She glanced back at the intersection, but the kid in the floral dress was already gone.
‘Probably just a coincidence,‘ she thought.
After all, Valerie, who was on the run with her mom and daughter, might not head for Ashbourne.
“Mrs. Winifred, ready to go home?” The driver stepped out to open the door for her.
“Yeah,” Audrey said, sliding in and grabbing her tablet. Work for Stride Commerce still needed handling.
As the driver approached the toll booth, pedestrians blocked the lane.
The commotion outside caught Audrey’s attention. She rolled down the window halfway.
At the entrance of the new cake shop at the intersection, the once–neat line had turned into a chaotic cluster. Someone appeared to be lying on the ground.
A woman shrieked, “What did you give her? What did she eat? She’s only four. If something happens, how do I explain this to her parents?!”
“Ma’am, stay calm. Let’s get her to the hospital first and then sort this out.” The manager, who’d already called first responders, knelt to check the girl.
Through the crowd, Audrey spotted a flash of floral fabric. It was the same kid she’d seen earlier.
“Pull over,” she told the driver, rolling the window down completely.
The little girl in the floral dress lay still on the pavement. The manager, fearing she was choking, tried to lift her for first aid but was stopped by a middle- aged woman.
It was Cheryl.
“Don’t touch her. Keep your hands off!” Cheryl sobbed, fumbling for her phone. “Get over here now. Luna’s been poisoned by food!”
“Ma’am, please don’t accuse us. Our cakes are safe!” the
manager said.
“Safe? Then why’s my granddaughter like this?” Cheryl snarled at the manager and then turned to the crowd. “Their cakes are toxic. Don’t eat them. You could die!”
Valerie must be close by. She soon pushed through the crowd, weeping loudly.
“Luna!” she screamed, nearly tripping. A kind stranger steadied her as she fell to her knees. “Luna, you’re freaking me out!”
An ambulance sirened up, transporting Valerie, Luna, Cheryl, and the store manager.
The once–bustling shop emptied out in an instant. Customers who’d taken free cakes earlier started dumping them into nearby trash bins.
At the hospital, doctors pumped Luna’s stomach and hooked her up to an IV.
They warned Valerie to monitor the child closely and prevent any more allergen exposure. Severe choking could impact her physical and mental growth.
When Valerie answered Cheryl’s call, she was live–streaming her job search.
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Her old account had stopped updating, but people still left daily messages criticizing and mocking her. So she created a new alt account and broadcast in first person.
She’d crafted a persona–a daughter bringing her mother to Ashbourne for treatment, seeking a flexible job to care for both her mom and child.
At first, viewers called it a script. Then the emergency happened, drawing in more viewers.
She hadn’t turned off the stream during the entire ride to the hospital.
The viewers thought, ‘A mother with a sick parent, a child in trouble. It’s a woman’s life falling apart!
Sniffling and sobbing filled the live feed.
The chat went wild with comments.
[This woman’s got it so rough. Her mom isn’t even hospitalized yet, and now the kid’s ill. Where’s the father?]
[Total script. I’ve seen this exact storyline before.]
[No chance! You can question someone’s morals, but no mother would harm her own kid. That’s her own flesh and blood.]
[The little girl’s face was purple. Doctors said it was anaphylactic shock. If they’d been late, she could’ve died. How is this fake?]
[Exactly! Some people are just paranoid. They think everything’s a scam.]
[Miss, don’t cry. Start a fundraiser. We’ll all chip in!]
The live chat was raging with debate, the audience jumping from just over a hundred to nearly a thousand.
Some said the guardians weren’t doing their job, getting the kid caught up in unnecessary trouble.
Others argued the cake shop was in the wrong. No way they should’ve given food to a random child.
Once Luna was out of danger, the shop manager went to Valerie to sort things out, asking her to turn off the livestream.
Valerie wailed, pounding her chest. “The doctor said bad choking could mess with her development. How am I supposed to go on?”
“My poor daughter! She can’t rely on her husband, stuck taking care of me, an old woman, alone, and now her kid’s hurt.
“Why does misfortune always hit the vulnerable? How will we ever get through this?” Cheryl plopped down on the ground, slapping her thighs as she
cried.
“Mom.” Valerie hugged Cheryl, both sobbing their hearts out.
With more onlookers crowding around, the manager couldn’t get a word in.
“Who’s Valerie?” a voice cut in.
“My Luna! Why is my life so miserable? I am. What’s this about?” Valerie choked back tears, looking up at the police officers who’d suddenly appeared.
The three police officers stood over them, dead serious.
The lead officer said, “You’re suspected of child abuse and attempted extortion. Come with us.”
A tear dangled from Valerie’s lashes as she froze, mind empty.
Only when they pulled her to her feet did she snap back, quickly shutting off the livestream.
Cheryl snapped into action too, grabbing Valerie’s hand while reaching for the manager. “Officers, she gave my granddaughter cake that made her
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Chapter 238
choke. We didn’t abuse our child!”
The shop manager acted fast, stepping back to take cover behind the police.
Cheryl grabbed at empty air and complained, “She almost got my granddaughter killed! Shouldn’t she pay for the medical bills? And we haven’t even talked about money yet. How is this extortion? Don’t pick on us just because we’re not from here.”
The lead officer’s eyes were sharp, voice firm. “There’ve been three food poisoning cases in Haldenwick this month. All with chestnut cake, chestnut cookies, and pecan pie. You really didn’t know the kid’s allergic to chestnuts?
“And we got reports that in Ironhaven, you’ve been to the police station multiple times for child abuse, and social services watched you for a while.”
Cheryl froze, staring at Valerie in shock.
Valerie couldn’t figure it out. The first two times, they’d pulled it off. The shops had each paid 30 thousand dollars to keep it quiet.
“Why did the police get involved this time? How did they connect with Ironhaven police?‘ she wondered.
“Let’s go. Don’t block other patients. We’ll deal with this at the station,” the lead officer said.
“I can’t leave!” Valerie resisted, crying and shouting. “My daughter’s still in there. She needs me.’
She hugged Cheryl and whispered so only they could hear, “Mom, you go with them. I’ll stay here and handle things.”
Cheryl was stunned.
Before Cheryl could refuse, Valerie pushed her toward the police. “My mother will go with you first…”
“My… my… my chest is killing me.” Cheryl rolled her eyes upward.
They started overacting, both desperate to avoid going to the police station.
